H E R I T A G E O F
F U T U R E
P A S T
H E R I TA G E O F F U T U R E PA S T
This collection of heritage stories has been created
The ten stories within this publication are told
by Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth, a British
through the view of people and places involved in
Council programme taking place in Vietnam as well
the programme so far – to document, highlight and
as Colombia and Kenya.
share the value, beauty and opportunities cultural heritage can bring from a diverse range of
Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth is a pilot
perspectives. Each story holds its own identity,
initiative exploring the use of cultural heritage for
creativity and uniqueness, yet all are inspired by a
growth that benefits all levels of society. Cultural
common sense of purpose; to promote the
heritage in this context means many things, from
importance and relevance of cultural heritage in
the built environment through to cultural traditions
celebrating the past, further understanding our
such as music and language. Inclusive growth
present and creating a shared future.
means working with and for all levels of society to reconcile the divide between economic growth
When knitted together these stories both reveal
and rising inequality.
and raise awareness for the transformational power of cultural heritage and its ability to develop
I N T R O D U C T I O N
In Vietnam, the in-country Cultural Heritage for
cross-cultural understanding in today’s society. As
Inclusive Growth project – known as Heritage of
demonstrated through the lens of Vietnam’s rich
Future Past – works with communities, heritage
cultural heritage in this collection, it is uniquely
bearers and contemporary artists to safeguard and
positioned to do many things; from acting as a
promote music and film heritage which are
conduit for the exchange of ideas across genera-
under-represented or at high risk of disappearing.
tions to providing a pathway for building collective, sustainable livelihoods.
Music and film heritage – especially that of
02
under-represented groups - including ethnic
Our sincere thanks to the authors Barley Norton
minority groups located in remote, rural areas – are
from Goldsmiths, University of London, and Hoàng
becoming increasingly less visible in Vietnam’s
Văn Chung from Vietnam Academy of Social
contemporary culture and society, against the
Sciences, who travelled to many locations and
backdrop of rapid economic growth. Within this
interviewed many participants to make sure that
context, efforts in safeguarding valuable and at-risk
the stories really capture the essence of the
intangible cultural components have received very
people at the heart of the project and their worlds.
little attention and support. The situation affects
We believe these stories should be kept and
the capacity of communities surrounding said
shared for the benefit of people who tell their
components to develop their human capital and
stories, and those who will listen and share these
contribute to national development.
stories further.
H E R I TA G E O F F U T U R E PA S T
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H E R I TA G E O F F U T U R E PA S T
B R I N G I N G H M O N G T O
F O L K S O N G S
T H E
W O R L D
In his cramped flat on the outskirts of Hanoi, the
Bê recently graduated from the Hanoi
young musician Giàng A Bê is working until the
University of Culture but he was born and grew up
early hours of the morning. His eyes strain as he
in Yên Bái province in northern Vietnam. For the
edits video on his old, dusty computer. He cannot
project, the team made trips back to the
sleep as he is excited about finishing his first
mountainous northern regions where there are
documentary about Hmong music titled A
large populations of Hmong people. They went to
Folksong Journey (Hành trình Dân ca).
find elderly musicians and singers, so they could
The 30-minute film is the culmination of
28
record and document traditional melodies. On
a 9-month project called 'Our Music' (Âm nhạc của
their return, they translated lyrics from the Hmong
Chúng mình), which was carried out by Bê and a
language into Vietnamese and created new
group of his Hmong friends. Supported by the
arrangements of songs. Traditionally, Hmong
British Council’s 'Film, Archive and Music Lab' Fund
songs are often performed a cappella, without an
(FAMLAB), the project aimed to explore the
instrumental accompaniment, but the team
cultural practices of Hmong people that are in
experimented with combining traditional songs
danger of disappearing. Few Hmong under the
with contemporary pop music. "A Song to Choose
age of 30 know how to perform traditional music,
a Husband" is one of the melodies they arranged.
Bê said, so it is important to find new ways to
It is a much-loved song because of the beauty of
encourage young people to connect with their
the words and its cultural significance: the song
cultural heritage.
advises Hmong girls how to find a good fiancé. In
29
the modern remixed version, the solo female voice floats over a backing of electronic beats and the sounds of traditional instruments like the qeej mouthorgan and raj nplaim bamboo-reed flute. Bê is a leading member of the Hmong Action Group (AHD), a volunteer organisation set up by young Hmong. AHD strives to change negative attitudes towards ethnic minorities and raise awareness of the value of Hmong culture amongst the Vietnamese people as a whole. Bê's father was a master performer of traditional instruments like the qeej mouthorgan. But it wasn't until after his father's tragic death that Bê realised the value of Hmong music and began to study traditional instruments himself. The cultural break that Bê experienced as a result of his father's untimely death gave him a very personal motivation for becoming a cultural activist and embarking on the British Council project. On the 28th December 2019, the project team hosted a film screening and discussion in the theatre of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities in the centre of Hanoi. When the film A Folksong Journey was shown, it received an emotional reception from the Hmong community, including Bê's mother who travelled to the capital for the event. Members of the audience told Bê that the film's vivid portrayal of Hmong culture made them feel pride in their heritage. Bringing Hmong folksongs to downtown Hanoi was a major landmark in the lives of Bê and his friends. They hope that the folksongs featured in the film will inspire more people to enjoy and value Hmong culture.
30
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T H E C A P T I V A T I N G O F
T H E
G I N A N G C H I L D R E N
S O U N D
D R U M :
M A K I N G
F I L M S
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H E R I TA G E O F F U T U R E PA S T
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
B A R L E Y
N O R T O N
Barley Norton is Reader in Ethnomusicology and
possession rituals, Songs for the Spirits
Director of the Asian Music Unit (AsMU) in the
(University of Illinois Press 2009), and two films
Music Department at Goldsmiths, University of
about contemporary music, Hanoi Eclipse - The
London. Since first visiting Vietnam in the 1990s,
Music of Dai Lam Linh (Documentary Educational
Barley has carried out extensive field research on
Resources 2010), and Make a Silence - Musical
Vietnamese music and cultural heritage. As well as
Dialogues in Asia (2019). He has also published
writing books and articles about Vietnamese
two coedited volumes: Music and Protest in 1968
music culture, he has shot and directed
(Cambridge University Press 2013), which won the
ethnographic films. Major publications include a
American Musicology Society’s 2014 Ruth A. Solie
book about the role of music during spirit
Award; and Music as Heritage (Routledge 2019).
H O À N G
V Ă N
C H U N G
It was a great pleasure for us to work on this
and its transformative potential. We would like to
Hoàng Văn Chung is a researcher in Sociology,
Religions and State's Response to Religious
project and we would like to send our heartfelt
sincerely thank Nguyễn Phương Thảo, Head of Arts
currently the Head of Department for Theories
Diversification in Contemporary Vietnam
thanks to everyone who shared their stories with
and Creative Industries, for her support and advice.
and policy on religion at the Institute for Religious
(Springer 2017), an edited book Major values and
us. Without the openness and generosity of the
At the British Council in Vietnam, special thanks
Studies (IRS), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
functions of Buddhism in contemporary Vietnam
many inspiring people who we met through this
also to Phạm Minh Hồng, Trần Duy Hưng, Phan Thu
(VASS). Since 1999, Chung has focused his
(Social Sciences publishing house 2019), and a
project, the creation of this collection of stories
Nga, Phan Thanh Ngọc and Trần Thị Thu Hằng.
investigation on new religious phenomena, folk
book chapter entitled "The double-layered
religion, Buddhism, and state-religion relationship
religious diversification in post-Renovation
in Vietnam and carried out a lot of ethnographic
Vietnam" in Religious Diversity in Asia (Brill 2019).
would not have been possible. We hope that this book and the corresponding short films online will
Barley Norton and Hoàng Văn Chung
raise awareness of the value of cultural heritage
fieldwork among diverse religious-ethnic communities. His major publications include New
44
45
H E R I TA G E O F F U T U R E PA S T
I M A G E
C R E D I T S
Cover page. Đinh Văn Khun playing a gong in front of the communal house of
27 (bottom) - An old vinyl record of cải lương music from Nguyễn Lê Hiếu's
Mơ H'ra village, Gia Lai province, January 2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
personal archive in Ho Chi Minh City. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
5. The children's gong ensemble of Mơ H'ra village performing in front of the
28. Tráng Hồng Vi performing a Hmong folk song in Hanoi, December 2019.
village communal house, Gia Lai province,January 2020.
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung. 30-31. Giàng A Bê playing the Hmong flute in Sapa, Lào Cai province, 2019. 6. Đinh Thị Mến presenting Bahnar cultural heritage displayed at the
Image by Ly Chính.
communal house of Mơ H'ra village, Gia Lai province, January 2020. 32-33. Thắng learning to play the ginang drum with artist Sầm Tánh in Bỉnh
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Nghĩa village, Ninh Thuận province, January 2020. 7. The head of Mơ H'ra village Đinh H'mưnh playing the tube-zither (goong)
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
inside the village communal house, Gia Lai province, January 2020. 34 (left) - Artist Sầm Tánh playing the paranung drum at his home in Bỉnh
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Nghĩa village, Ninh Thuận, January 2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung. 8-9. Trần Thu Hiền from the Vietnam Chèo Theatre (Nhà hát Chèo Việt Nam) playing the role of Suý Vân. Image by Nguyễn Hoàng.
34 (right) - Thắng learning to use a video camera, Ninh Thuận province, 2019. Image by British Council Vietnam.
10 (left) - Performance art by La Mai during an open workshop for the "Future of Tradition" project in 2019. Image c/o La Mai.
35. The group of young film makers who made the short documentary "Thắng – The Boy who learns to play the drum", Ninh Thuận province,
10 (right) - Trần Thu Hiền from the Vietnam Chèo Theatre playing the role of
January, 2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Suý Vân. Image by Nguyễn Hoàng. 36-37. Artist A Jring Đeng playing the tube-zither (goong) in front of the large 11. The musician Nguyễn Xuân Sơn during an interview at Heritage Space in
communal house of Tân Lập village, Kon Tum province, January 2020.
Hanoi, December 2019. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
12-13. Performance at the Hanoi New Music Festival 2018 of "Hồ Nguyệt Cô
38. A pupil from Kon Rẫy Boarding School learning music from an artist,
hoá cáo" composed by Trần Thị Kim Ngọc. Still image from the film Make a
Kon Tum province, 2019. Image by British Council Vietnam.
Silence - Musical Dialogues in Asia (2019) by Barley Norton. 39. Pupils from Kon Rẫy Boarding school performing in a gong ensemble at a
Image c/o Barley Norton.
school graduation ceremony, Kon Tum province, 2019. 14. Portrait of Trần Thị Kim Ngọc. Image by Nguyễn Xuân Sơn.
Image by British Council Vietnam.
17. Portrait of Nguyễn Quốc Hoàng Anh, Hanoi, January 2020.
40-41.The live art performance "The Bolero Effect" created by Moi Tran in
Image by HoàngVăn Chung.
Hanoi, December 2019. Image by Trần Thảo Miên.
19. Nguyễn Quốc Hoàng Anh on his vintage motorbike in Hanoi, January
42. The live art performance "The Bolero Effect" created by Moi Tran in
2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
Hanoi, December 2019. Images by Trần Thảo Miên.
20-21. Still image of the actor Trần Quang and actress Thẩm Thúy Hằng from
43. The live art performance "The Bolero Effect" created by Moi Tran in
the pre-1975 film Nàng (Lady) directed by Lê Mộng Hoàng.
Hanoi, December 2019. Image by Trần Thảo Miên.
This publication is part of
Image c/o Lê Hồng Lâm. 22. Film critic Lê Hồng Lâm interviewing film actress Kiều Chinh in California,
24-25. Cải lương theatre director Nguyễn Hồng Dung at The House of
A Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth project undertaken by the British Council in Vietnam
Theatre Ancestors (Nhà tổ nghề sân khấu) in Ho Chi Minh City, January 2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung. 27 (top) - Nguyễn Lê Hiếu singing cải lương music theatre, Ho Chi Minh City, January 2020. Image by Hoàng Văn Chung.
www.britishcouncil.vn © British Council 2020 46
Designed by WE ideation
2019. Image by Vũ Khánh Tùng.